Page 12 - BusinessWest July 25, 2022
P. 12

 Editorial
Forging a Stronger Economy
BusinessWest
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 When Laura Teicher was hired as director of Greentown Learn in 2018, one of the first things she did was push for a rebrand, a new name that better represented what the enterprise — an offshoot of Greentown Labs in Somerville that connects startups with manufacturers — is all about.
The team tried to get some variation of the word ‘connect’ into the name, almost calling it KINECT before realizing that was the name of a failed Super Nintendo app, as well as too close to K’Nex building toys.
What they eventually settled on was FORGE, which isn’t an acronym; the capital letters are used for emphasis. It was simply, elegant, and forceful, speaking to the way the agency forges relationships between innovators looking to produce and then scale up their big ideas, and manufacturers looking for new, local lines of business.
And that’s exactly what it has done, helping more than 500 startups since 2015, currently engaging more than 450 manufacturers, and supporting more than 4,500 jobs in innovation and manufacturing along the way. The startups in the program boast more than a 90% survival rate; the national average is around 10%.
But, in some ways, FORGE’s name took on a new mean- ing during the past two and a half years of economic upheaval churned up by the pandemic. It reflects the way this agency forged on, not only continuing to make connec-
Opinion
tions, but re-emphasizing the importance of what it does. Take the supply-chain crisis. The disruptions of those
global production and shipping networks, which continues today, caused many manufacturers to localize their supply chains as much as possible, at the same time that startup companies were increasingly looking to manufacture their products close to home. In that sense, FORGE has become an even more valuable part of the innovation and manufac- turing ecosystem.
But even in more stable times, an enterprise like FORGE is simply a good idea, on many levels. So many startups with good ideas fail because they don’t have this kind of resource to guide them into the production and scaling phases that are critical to a business success story. And so many manu- facturers aren’t aware of the potential new lines of business sprouting up in their own backyards.
The greatest beneficiary is the regional economy itself. These connections are not only helping businesses grow and thrive, but do so in Massachusetts, and in many cases West- ern Mass., and that’s good economic news for everyone.
In the story on page 33, FORGE’s Western Mass. director, Kevin Moforte, told BusinessWest that he loves entrepre- neurship, partly because of the role it plays in building not just individual wealth, but prosperous, stable communities. That’s something to celebrate during an era that has been anything but stable. v
  Use Common Sense with Marijuana
TBy Pam Thornton
he legalization of mari-
juana across Massachusetts,
Connecticut, and now Rhode Island has further increased the complexity of how we manage drug use in our workplaces. Employers are being forced to re-evaluate their position and practices around maintaining a safe and drug-free workplace.
Although employers may need
to revise their drug-testing and accommodation policies, no state
law requires employers to tolerate on-the-job drug use, intoxication, or impairment. Communication with your employees, a solid workplace drug policy, and enforcement of your practices can go a long way to keeping your workplace drug-free.
The recent mindset of some employees has really surprised many leaders and HR practitioners. Employ- ees have always known that they can’t come to work under the influence of alcohol or any other controlled sub- stance, for that matter, but with the sweeping legalization of recreational
marijuana, employees are taking liber- ties and showing up to work impaired because “it’s now legal.”
It’s important for employers to educate and overcommunicate. Put- ting it out there, that even though it’s legal, it’s not acceptable to possess
or use in the workplace, really needs to be said from the top down, across all functions and in multiple ways. Practically speaking, this means even having conversations to confirm that marijuana isn’t allowed in the work- place smoking area or at the outdoor company picnic, for instance. Clear communication with some specific examples can really help to get every- one on the same page.
Employers are trying to get quali- fied employees in the door to do the work in this tight labor market and are thinking long and hard about whether or not they really need to drug test
for marijuana. They are weighing the upside of drug testing with the mul- tiple requirements varying by state, with the downside being the risk of not being able to attract or retain tal-
ented people. Marijuana is still ille- gal under federal law, however, and companies that have these specific requirements still need to adhere to these standards.
Developing and implementing a policy that outlines the specifics of the law required by your state and clearly defines use and possession param- eters is critical. Properly training man- agers to be able to identify the signs
of impairment will assist in the appli- cability and enforcement of the policy and can protect everyone. These
are different times that we are living in and complicated at best when it comes to this subject, but the employ- er still has the right to require a drug- free workplace. The burden of outlin- ing and reinforcing common-sense guidelines is one that the employer will bear, but the advantages are sure to be beneficial in the long run. v
Pam Thornton is director of Strategic HR Services at the Employers Assoc. of the Northeast. This article first appeared on the EANE blog; eane.org
 12 JULY 25, 2022
OPINION
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